


His Sister's Keeper

by oldenuf2nb



Series: If Wishes Were Children [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Mpreg, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-24
Updated: 2009-09-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 07:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16719025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oldenuf2nb/pseuds/oldenuf2nb
Summary: Words of wisdom only a brother can impart to his younger sibling.





	His Sister's Keeper

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s notes: A continuation of the “If Wishes Were Children” Universe, this one for sassy_cissa’s birthday. Happy birthday, love. You did say something about another baby, didn’t you? *g*

Some things were a given with new parents, such as that supernaturally in tune radar that would awaken one at the slightest sound. At least, Harry believed that _something_ within him had certainly changed when Jamie was born.  
  
So when he wakened abruptly, staring up into the darkness, he lay there listening. He could hear Draco breathing softly at his side, feel the warm weight of him against his arm, and knew that he hadn’t been the cause of his sudden wakefulness; he was breathing too deeply, too soundly for it to have been him. Then he heard it, a soft sort of murmuring from down the hall, and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

It hadn’t taken him any time at all to get back into the swing of midnight feedings, although if pressed he would admit that the older he got, the harder getting out of the warm bed had become. But he stood, shrugging into the robe he’d laid on the bench at the foot of their bed, and slipped his feet into his slippers. This was old territory, and he could manage it without even thinking. He sensed Draco stirring behind him, heard the cadence of his breathing change.

“I can get it.” He sounded hoarse. Harry turned and smiled down into the half open eyes, peering blearily at him through a fringe of tousled blond hair.

“I’m already up,” he murmured, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the slightly parted lips. Draco sighed into it, his body relaxing in response, one hand lifting lazily around Harry’s neck. “Go back to sleep,” he whispered against his lips. “I won’t be long. She probably just needs another dose of the teething potion.”

“Hmmhmm…” Harry felt the hand slip from around his neck, and knew that Draco was asleep again before he reached the bedroom door.

Parenting the second time had been no less of a wonder than it had been the first, although he would admit they’d both been a bit taken aback when the Healer had announced during Draco’s six month check-up that he was carrying a girl. Narcissa and Molly had been all but incoherent in delight, and their friends had been extremely amused. For their part, Draco had been completely disconcerted and Harry faintly terrified. A girl? What did they know about raising a girl?

They shouldn’t have been so worried, he reflected as he stumbled down the dim hallway. Narcissa Amelia had made her appearance into their family with none of the drama that her brother Jamie had arrived with, and promptly wrapped her tiny little fingers around not only her two father’s hearts, but her brother’s as well, although Harry doubted he’d admit it aloud. There had been the inevitable consternation about how one actually kept a baby girl _clean_ during the nappy changes, but even that had been overcome fairly easily. Now, six months after her birth, she was the center around which the little family rotated, slept, ate, and Harry knew that that would probably last for at least another six months. Especially now that she’d begun teething in earnest. Her poor little gums were swollen and red, and she’d been gnawing on anything in sight, including his knuckles, for days.

When he approached the nursery door, the room Jamie had cheerfully moved out of in favor of his ‘big boy room’ down the hall, Harry paused when he heard a voice speaking softly. Wondering if Mipsy had beaten him to it, he peered around the edge of the door.

The nightlight on the low table revealed a small boy in red and green flannel pyjamas, black hair gleaming in the soft glow, leaning over the edge of the ruffled bassinet that had been a gift of ‘Nana Cissy’ to her namesake. He was speaking, his voice low and soothing.

“Is this what you wanted?” he was asking, his hand inside the frilly crib. “I got it out of the freezer for you. Daddy said it makes your teeth not hurt so bad.” He paused, withdrawing his hand, listening to the soft sounds made as if in response to his words. “That’s better, isn’t it? I don’t remember my teeth hurting when they came in, but I can tell that yours do. Boy, you like that almost as much as your bottle, huh?” He was grinning, and he could only imagine Cissy’s toothless grin in return. “You sure are cute,” he said, almost grudgingly. “I kinda wanted a brother, but now that you’re here,” he paused, musing, “I guess you’re all right.”

There was a muffled babble of noise in return, and Jamie’s smile widened. “You’re slobbering all over the place, you nit,” he said mildly, taking a cloth diaper that was hanging over the side and, Harry was quite certain, wiping his sister’s chin. “It’s a good thing that’ll stop when your teeth are finally in; it’s not very attractive.”

The seven-year-old sounded so much like Draco that Harry covered his mouth with his hand to stop his laughter.

Jamie leaned on the bassinet, staring down into it. “You should go back to sleep, you know,” he said conversationally. “Papa says Daddy is exhausted, and he’s pretty tired, too. Oh, I know you can’t help it,” he said in answer to a gurgle from the crib. “It’s just that you don’t let any of us sleep much. I’ll be glad when you outgrow the whole crying in the middle of the night thing, to be honest. But it’s not like you can just tell us what’s wrong, is it?” He reached into the crib, his hand gentle. “No, don’t spit it out. It helps.” He drew his hand back quickly with a sound of disgust. “Ewww, not my finger! Papa lets you do that; not me. Ick.” He wiped his hand on his pyjama pants, but he didn’t pull away. “Oh, think that’s funny, do you?” Harry could envision the gummy smile, and smiled himself. “Just wait till you’re older, and I tell you that you slobbered on my finger. Bet it grosses you out.”

There was a pause, during which Jamie watched the burbling baby, and Harry watched Jamie. He was so handsome, his son. So much his father’s clone, with the long limbs and the slender build, and the faintly pointed features. He had Harry’s dark hair, but Draco’s light grey eyes. And Harry’s temperament, Draco was fond of saying. Too nice for their own good, both of them.

Harry had a sneaking suspicion that his darling daughter was more Draco’s child than his; demanding already, even at six months. Quick to anger, her little face going red when she was displeased, but already so effortlessly charming, with her dimpled smile and her light eyes. Harry thought they might stay blue, like Narcissa’s, but Draco was certain they’d end up grey, like his. Like Jamie’s. She had Harry’s hair, however, poor thing, cowlicks included. Wild and softly curling, surprisingly thick and jet black. Draco had quipped that it astounded him that Harry’s genes could be so dominant when his were so clearly superior, but his brunet children seemed to delight him.

“You know, now that you’re getting older,” Jamie said, “there’s some stuff you probably ought to know. We aren’t like other kids, you and me.”

Harry stiffened, alerted by the somber sound of his son’s voice.

“Most kids have a mum. We have two dad’s instead.”

Harry caught his breath and waited.

“But don’t you let anyone tell you that there’s something wrong with that,” Jamie went on emphatically. “All that means is that our dad’s are better wizards than anyone else’s, cuz they are, you know. The best wizard’s in the world. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t be here. And don’t let anyone tell you that you’re some kind of freak. They try that, and you just tell me. I’ll sort them out.” He sounded so protective, so ardent, and Harry very much wanted to pick him up and hug him. “You are not a freak,” he went on sternly. “You may occasionally smell like a stink bug, but you’re not a freak.”

Harry couldn’t help it; the laughter won, and Jamie turned, his eyes wide.

“Hey, Papa,” he said with the lopsided grin that always made Harry’s heart turn over.

“Hey, yourself,” he said, entering the room to stand next to his son. He looked down and saw Cissy looking up at him, her snitch shaped teething ring in her mouth, her light eyes wide. She smiled at him around it, and he reached down and let her grip his finger. “Hello, Princess. I see that your brother has you all taken care of.”

“I heard her starting to fuss,” Jamie said. “I figured I could get her the tooth thing and maybe you and Daddy could just sleep.” He looked down at his sister with a slight frown. “Daddy looks really tired; I’m worried about him.”

“Your dad is fine, son,” Harry reassured him. “The Healer said so, remember?”

Jamie nodded, but he still didn’t look convinced. He looked up at Harry. “You’d tell me, wouldn’t you? If something was wrong?”

Jamie had heard the stories of his own birth and the long road to recovery for Draco after it. Harry knew why he was worried. He lay his hand gently on top of the dark head.

“I promise, Jamie. Daddy’s fine.”

He nodded and exhaled, as if he’d been waiting for those words, and Harry ruffled his hair. “And thank you for coming to take care of your sister,” he said softly. “You go on back to bed. You’ve got school in the morning, and I can take it from here.”

Jamie nodded, briefly wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist and pressing his face into his stomach.

“Love you, Papa,” he said, before turning to head for his own room.

“Love you, too, son.” Harry watched him go, then turned back and picked his daughter up in his arms. “Alright, missy,” he said fondly. “Time for a bottle and a nappy change.” He wrinkled his nose. “And your brother has a point about that whole stink bug analogy.” Cissy just cooed happily.

When she’d been fed and changed, had her potion and fallen asleep in his arms, Harry wrapped her in her favorite blanket and placed her on her back in the bassinet. He stood over her just long enough to be certain that she was really asleep, marveling yet again that something so perfect could come from him and Draco, then trudged wearily back to his own bed.

Shedding the robe and slippers, he slid between the sheets into the warmth that surrounded Draco’s long body. He turned almost immediately, slipping into Harry’s arms, his face against his shoulder. He smelled of soap and shampoo and baby powder, and Harry pressed his face to the softness of his hair.

“Your feet are cold,” Draco muttered crossly, and Harry pulled his foot from Draco’s shin with a muttered apology. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Harry answered, allowing the warmth and the softness of their bed to surround him. “We simply have the most amazing children in the world.”

He heard Draco snort lightly. “Of course we do, Potter,” he murmured. “How could they be anything else?”

Harry chuckled. “Well, they do look like me a fair bit…”

Draco snorted. “It’s true, poor darlings. Perhaps we should have drowned them at birth.”

Harry smiled as he lifted his hand and carded his fingers through Draco’s hair. “Jamie was with her when I got there.”

“He was?” Draco mused, turning his head and pressing his face to Harry’s throat.

“He’d gone to get her teething ring, thinking she might go back to sleep.” He stroked his hand down Draco’s back, caressing the sleek slope with his fingers. “He was hoping he could keep her from disturbing us. He’s worried about you.” He felt Draco go still against him. “He thinks you look tired. I had to promise him again that you’re okay.”

Draco sighed, and Harry felt it against his skin. “I’ll take him with me when I see the Healer next week. Maybe she can convince him.”

“That might be a good idea,” Harry said softly, fingers still moving lightly over Draco’s skin. “He’s good with her,” he finally mused, looking up into the darkness. “Jamie is such a good kid, but I was a bit concerned, you know, about sibling rivalry. I think he’s really taken with her, though.”

“She’s his sister,” Draco said, nuzzling the way he did when he was settling in to go back to sleep. “I keep telling you, Potter. He’s you. He’ll always watch over her, protect her. Just as you do with Ron, and Hermione, and Ginny, and Neville.” He pressed his lips softly to Harry’s neck just next to his Adam’s apple, then brushed his nose over the spot. “And me.”

“You should have put yourself first on that list,” Harry murmured, encircling Draco with his arms and holding him. Draco made a satisfied sound.

“I don’t have to,” he responded sleepily. “You do.”

[](http://pics.livejournal.com/oldenuf2nb/pic/000k0z22/)


End file.
